Disbelief as Aussie Paralympian stripped of medal
<p>Australian athlete Jaryd Clifford has been disqualified and stripped of his medal after officials stepped in at the end of the mens 5000m event in Paris. </p>
<p>The 25-year-old runner crossed the line in third place, claiming a bronze medal and was celebrating with his team when the news came in of his disqualification. </p>
<p>Paralympic officials claim the Aussie had dropped the tether which ties him to his guide moments before he had crossed the line in the men’s T13 final.</p>
<p>Vision-impaired runners must hold onto the tether until they’ve finished the race in its entirety.</p>
<p>Clifford, who was the only runner in the field to use a guide, was left visibly distraught after learning he had been disqualified and stripped of his bronze medal.</p>
<p>“I went and saw mum and dad and my girlfriend and broke down,” Clifford said. </p>
<p>“I had my little cry on the side of the track. If you talk about reacting to results as grief, I had my grieving moment." </p>
<p>“Out on the track, I was a little bit numb, I’m still a bit numb … I am pretty shattered, to be honest, if I’m frank about it, we went in with the aim of winning gold.”</p>
<p>He later wrote on social media, “I’m absolutely gutted that we made such a critical mistake today. Remaining tethered is a fundamental rule of guiding and I’m shattered that I lost my mind in those final metres. I’ve got so much more to give, I promise to bring everything for the 1500m on Tuesday.”</p>
<p>Fans watching on couldn’t believe the Aussie had been stripped of the medal in a moment that had no impact on the final outcome of the race, as one person on X wrote: “So you run 4999 metres tethered and one not? That wouldn't affect the result of the race so the race rules are s**t.”</p>
<p><em>Image credits: Ulrik Pedersen/CSM/Shutterstock Editorial </em></p>
